Beautiful plane that 'Fifi' Don't blame you one bit for staying home though When we have air shows we can see the planes fly over - so no need to 'be there'
It's the same at my daughter's ..the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds practice and fly over her house, we never go to the crowded show.
Here is the article I promised, describing the flying group resurrecting and refurbishing these old warhorses. It's interesting reading, at least for me.
Last 5 days comprised this year's Run, in which motorcyclists from across the country converge on our area. The local population here is Laughlin, about 9500, Bullhead City, 40,000. For perspective, 20 to 30 thousand bikes show up! Many come individually, many are clubs and the like. Veterans comprise quite a large part. For the most part, things are fairly quiet, with a few skirmishes here and there. Two years ago a guy was knifed at Harrah's, about the worst incident we've heard of. Last year my wife took these before and after shots of the Colorado Belle Hotel: Yep! Those're bikes! Entire parking lot dedicated to bikes only. Maybe a thousand or so. Each of the 9 hotels here have 1000+ rooms, availability during the Run = zero. The overflow extends across the river to BHC, south 20 miles to needles, California, eastward to Kingman, 35 miles. This year we remained at home! Frank
In 2014 we were on a trip in our motorhome, up through Wyoming and into Montana en route to Glacier SP. It just happened to be the week of Sturgis Rally; the SDDOT estimated over a million people converging for the event. I think most of them passed us on I-25 and I-90; it was like being swarmed.
@Beth Gallagher Glacier is one of the most Pristine places I think I've seen. A notable experience: we hiked up to Grinnell Glacier, about a 6 or 7 mile hike, mainly climbing upwards, looking back down on small lakes each successively lower than the one above. That was in 1974. Here is how Grinnel looked then: It is halfway up the mountainside at center. In 1850, Grinnell covered 700 acres. Today it is nearly gone. Frank
I just noticed that I indicated Glacier "SP" when of course it is a "NP." One of the most gorgeous places on earth, @Frank Sanoica . The National Parks are truly treasures.
@Beth Gallagher Something in common, now, almost a first! I just knew we'd find it! All squabbling aside.........I had never even seen a mountain (other than movies) until we left heading west on our honeymoon. Approaching Denver, in the distance I saw clouds that were new to me....my new wife said those were the mountains. Crossing Loveland Pass (Eisenhower Tunnel still a dream), I was quickly hooked. I was 23; by 30, we had engineered our escape from Chicago to the wilds of the Desert Southwest! Frank
@Beth Gallagher I saw you did, and knew you knew.........I know you know. In certain ways, I have come to view the National Parks as sinister in some ways, in their administration. As though the govt. must grab everything controllable. Why do I say this? Capitol Reef National Monument is one such "conversion". We drove through it by chance, following the indicated "shorter route to Los Angeles" billboard. It was magnificent! In 1965. Later, made a National Park, it has become much more commercialized.........perhaps that's "progress", perhaps it's just me. I'm a spoil-sport, eh-what? The roadway follows the Fremont River through the Park. Color and enormity of the geography is overwhelming. Have you been there? It's indescribable.
Why Frank, I never considered it squabbling! I would move to Colorado in a heartbeat but my husband is forever a Texan. Here's the approach to Eisenhower/Johnson tunnel (eastbound on I-70) from the copilot seat. (Dirty windshield)
@Beth Gallagher Nice! You know, I've never even seen that tunnel! Before I-70 was completed, it was either US 6 or 50, sometimes they combined for a distance. First trip west, we stayed overnight in a little town called Rifle, CO. A ruckus developed, about 1:00 AM, I went outside the room to find the lady motel-owner talking to the Sheriff.......seems a couple had been having quite a tiff: they were from Crystal Lake, IL, to boot! We were from Chicago, of course. Crossing the state line into Utah, the topography changed quickly and drastically; first little town was Cisco, UT. I remember it like it was yesterday, but I cannot remember yesterday. Almost a sort of miasma? Frank
I've been to Rifle, Frank. It was years ago; I worked for Exxon and there was a shale oil project at Parachute (terminated in 1982.)
@Beth Gallagher Amazing coincidences, Beth! In 1977, having gotten my Engineering Degree, living with my Mother who had come out to keep house, as she put it, I was newly-divorced, and applied for a position advertised in Blue Diamond, 20 miles west of Vegas. The Flintkote Co. operated a large gypsum mine there, conveying the crushed ore down the mountain to a plant manufacturing gypsum wallboard out of it. The job, Plant Engineer, required (understandably) knowledge of gypsum wallboard making, foreign to me, despite all my other experience. Flintkote was transferring their Plant Engineer out to Blue Diamond from Florence, CO, and offered me his position there. Broke and desperate, I loaded my 2 cats in the pickup, put the house in Vegas up fr sale, my Mother remaining to show it, and left for Colorado. The coincidence resides in the fact that the entire output of my plant in Florence, CO, gypsum wallboard, ALL went to the Shale fields area in western CO. Grand Junction springs to mind. Housing was in short supply, demand was great, and the shale developers were having a windfall. I left before learning of the eventual outcome of the "boom". Perhaps you might enlighten? Frank
The boom was short-lived and went bust by mid-1982. My husband and I both worked for Exxon and we had been considering transferring to the Colony Shale Oil Project. After seeing the dismal housing shortage and desolate location, we turned down the "opportunity" in 1981. Here's some more info. We divorced in 1982; he took an expat assignment at Saudi Aramco and I moved to the Baton Rouge facility.
@Beth Gallagher Thank you for that article! I had wondered for years, sans PC, and saw nothing written in the news. The drywall plant appears to have been shut down, for reasons unknown. As the only gyp plant in CO, with the ever-increasing population there, I would have expected the shale shutdown to have little impact. One thing I do know is that Flintkote Co., the plant owner, had for years sold a multitude of building products containing asbestos, and thus filed for 11, as did the huge Johns-Manville Co. Shale activity came alive again in N. Dakota, specifically Williston, with, I think, the advent of "fracking", hydraulic fracturing, then pumping fluid down to force the oil out. I think. You may be privy to more knowledge of this than I, given your employment with Exxon.\ Frank